Information for Third Sector Organisations on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

The Government's new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough scheme) is available to all employers to help them retain, and pay their staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to claim.

Charities and social enterprise that run a PAYE scheme may be eligible. However, the NCVO (the National Council for Voluntary Organisations) states that you cannot apply to the scheme if your employees' salaries are already covered by grants and contracts that are still being paid to you.

In other words:

if you have funding that covers staff wages for services that you're due to be delivering now (in which case you'll need to speak to your funder),

or if you're providing services as part of the Covid19 response.

All employers who wish to apply need to have created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020, and have a UK bank account.

Employers can claim for any employees, including those on flexible or zero hours contracts, as long as they were hired before 19th March 2020.

Employers cannot furlough employees who are sick or self-isolating, or who are on unpaid leave (unless they started this leave after 19th March 2020). Statutory Maternity Pay, and Shared Parental Pay, Paternity or Adoption Pay operates as normal.